secretary of the Interior

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Interior Secretary to Wipe 'Squaw' From Government Use

Deb Haaland rules the term derogatory

(Newser) - Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Friday formally declared "squaw" a derogatory term and said she is taking steps to remove it from federal government use and to replace other derogatory place names. Haaland is ordering a federal panel tasked with naming geographic places to implement procedures to eliminate what...

Biden Pick Would Break a 245-Year String

Native American has never overseen US policy with tribes

(Newser) - President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations, per the AP . Tribal leaders and activists around the country,...

Trump Has Made Pick to Head Interior Dept., Despite Pushback

Acting department chief David Bernhardt has faced criticism from environmental groups

(Newser) - President Trump said Monday that he's nominating David Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for oil and gas companies and other industries, to head the Interior Department despite objections from environmental groups that Bernhardt already was making regulatory decisions on the country's natural resources to benefit industries. Trump tweeted his...

Zinke Didn't Like an Op-Ed on Him. Things Got Personal

Interior secretary accuses Rep. Raul Grijalva of alcohol abuse, using tax dollars as 'hush money'

(Newser) - A scathing opinion piece on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, penned by a Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and published Friday by USA Today , has caught Zinke's attention—and he's offering some eyebrow-raising "thoughts" of his own online. The op-ed by Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva asked...

Zinke Tried to Say 'Hello.' He Should've Stuck to English

Interior secretary slammed for acting 'juvenile' at hearing on Japanese-American internment camps

(Newser) - Perhaps Ryan Zinke wanted to show off his foreign language skills at a hearing Thursday, but it ended with reprimands in very plain English. Politico and HuffPost report the Interior secretary attended a gathering of the House Natural Resources Committee and was asked about a commitment to $2 million in...

Zinke Rips Staff Loyalty, Notes God's 'Sense of Humor'

Interior secretary estimates 30% of staff 'not loyal to the flag'

(Newser) - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that nearly one-third of his department's workers aren't loyal to him and President Trump, adding that he's working to change the regulatory culture to be more business friendly. Zinke, an ex-Navy SEAL, said he knew when he took over the 70,...

Suggestions in Zinke Report Would Defeat 'Rock Lickers': GOPer

Interior secretary recommends shrinking at least 4 national monuments

(Newser) - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has completed his President Trump-ordered review of 27 national monuments declared by Trump's three predecessors—and while he hasn't recommended abolishing any of them, he tells the AP he has proposed shrinking a "handful" of them. Insiders tell the New York Times that...

Trump's Next Cabinet Pick: Ex Navy Seal From Montana

Ryan Zinke is 'strong advocate for American energy independence'

(Newser) - Montana's only House lawmaker is Donald Trump's choice for interior secretary, transition team officials tell news outlets including Reuters and the Wall Street Journal . Ryan Zinke, a 55-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 commander, was first elected to Congress in 2014 and sits on the House Natural Resources...

New Interior Secretary: Sally Jewell

Senate confirms CEO of company specializing in outdoor gear

(Newser) - President Obama's choice to be the next interior secretary sailed through her Senate confirmation today by a vote of 87 to 11, reports the Washington Post . Sally Jewell, 57, will replace Ken Salazar as head of the department that overseas 500 million acres of parks and public lands, reports...

Obama to Pick REI Honcho for Interior Secretary

Sally Jewell will be first woman appointed in second term

(Newser) - President Obama will make an unconventional Cabinet pick today, naming REI Equipment Inc. CEO Sally Jewell as his new secretary of the Interior, a source tells the Washington Post . Jewell has had an interesting career path: She started out as an engineer for Mobil Oil, then became a commercial banker,...

Ken Salazar Leaving Obama Administration

Interior secretary had recently said he intended to stay

(Newser) - Ken Salazar is stepping down from his post as Interior secretary by the end of March, and returning to Colorado to spend time with his family, according to multiple reports. The move, first reported by the Denver Post , is expected to be officially announced later today. As recently as November,...

Interior Secretary Apologizes for Threatening Reporter

'I'll punch you out,' Ken Salazar told Colorado reporter

(Newser) - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar apologized today for threatening to punch a Colorado reporter who asked him about problems with the government's wild horse program at a campaign event. Salazar called Dave Philipps, a reporter with the Gazette of Colorado Springs, to apologize and offer him an interview, and he...

Frustrated Salazar: 'We'll Push BP Out of the Way'

Interior secretary talks tough during visit to oil company's HQ

(Newser) - As the Obama administration ramps up its response to the Gulf oil disaster, the interior secretary visited BP's Houston headquarters today and blasted the company for missing "deadline after deadline" in the cleanup effort. "There's no question BP is throwing everything at this problem," Ken Salazar acknowledged....

Ex-Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall Dies at 90

Spearheaded '60s conservation movement, Wilderness Act

(Newser) - Stewart Udall, an elder in a famed political family who led the Interior Department as it vastly expanded public lands and helped win passage of major environmental laws, has died at the age of 90. During his 1961-1968 tenure as Interior secretary, Udall sowed the seeds of the modern environmental...

Reid Apologizes Again for 'Choice of Words'

Senator sorry for 'Negro' remark

(Newser) - Harry Reid apologized again this afternoon for comments he made about Barack Obama in the early days of the presidential campaign, acknowledging that he "could have used a better choice of words" in evaluating Obama's prospects. "I've apologized to the president. I've apologized to everyone that, within the...

Bush Cabinet Member in Criminal Inquiry

Interior secretary gave Shell big contracts, then took job with firm

(Newser) - The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether Gale Norton illegally used her power as secretary of the Interior to obtain three oil contracts for Royal Dutch Shell—which only months later hired her as a legal counsel. The 2006 decision to award Shell leases on oil-rich federal...

GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick
GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick
May 13, 2009 11:31 AM CDT

GOP Blocks Obama Interior Dep't Pick

Rejection of top deputy marks first Republican KO of nominee

(Newser) - Republicans have blocked President Obama's pick for the No. 2 job at the Interior Department because of a flap over oil leases in Utah. In a 57-39 Senate vote, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes they would have needed to advance the nominee past GOP obstacles. It's the first...

US Cancels Gas, Oil Leases Near Utah Parks

Administration moves to drilling in environmentally sensitive areas

(Newser) - The Obama administration is scrapping the sales of oil and gas leases on areas of federally protected land spanning 130,000 acres in Utah, Bloomberg reports. “Those are American iconic treasures we need to make sure are being protected,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today, adding that the...

Bush Loosens Endangered Species Act
Bush Loosens
Endangered Species Act
Dec 12, 2008 9:59 AM CST

Bush Loosens Endangered Species Act

Another midnight ruling refuses protection to threatened animals

(Newser) - The White House incensed environmental groups yesterday by announcing sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Federal agencies will no longer have to consult with scientists before approving potentially harmful building or logging projects, and the government will not recognize the threat that global warming...

NY Fed Prez Lands Top Job at Treasury

Speculation about Commerce gig surrounds Richardson

(Newser) - The Obama transition team has settled on a treasury secretary nominee, NBC reports: Timothy Geithner, the president of the New York Fed. The announcement is expected to come Monday, when the president-elect will announce his entire economic team in an attempt to quell the unrest surrounding the financial markets....

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